Tangub - many thanks for the reply; I figured we both came to similar conclusions to re the site - although I figured you might prefer it to be a bit more natural, whereas I don't mind it being a bit glammed up - as long as it is with some personality/attitude as it is here.
Like you, I liked the outdoor shots - the bridge one in particular, but also the few on trains. I'd like to see more material like that; risqué stuff, but still shot well.
As to the regional pricing, I remain pragmatic; my interest in finding smut I really like outweighs my principles. I'd join a $30 site at $35 if I really liked the material, but certainly draw the line at joining a $30 site for £30!
I agree up to a point, and certainly wouldn't join a site where they think I'll pay the same number of £ as I will $.
But I'm also pragmatic, and regional pricing is so widespread that I'd miss out on material I wanted to see if I did a total boycott - in this case, full price = $30, TBP price = $15, TBP UK price = $17; it's annoying but not enough to stop me.
Was a member approx. 1 month prior to this review.
Pros:
- Lots of beautiful models
- High res, high quality photos
- Contemporary, modern feel to the site
- Contemporary themes - decor, clothing etc - to the sets
- Interesting magazine section
- Good TBP price
- Frequent updates - apprx 4/week
Cons:
- Would prefer a bit more age/ethnicity variation
- No zips of highest res photos
- Most videos aren't exciting
- Most videos have music track with no live sound
- Regional pricing
- Dictates username and password; times out quickly
- Search is very basic, just the set name; no filtering etc
Bottom Line:
W4B has been on my list for a while - I've always liked their cover shots, being a bit glam/arty/sexy - and the TBP price made it too hard to resist - it has a regional pricing discrepancy, but at 50% off I figured it was churlish to avoid it on principle.
The first thing you notice is that the site design is very clean, modern, contemporary; like some of the more arty sites around etc Joymii etc; it makes you feel a little less sordid about browsing online porn and, although admittedly I passed that hurdle some time ago, it's still nice to use an attractive site.
There are the usual listings available; namely:
* Models - approx 300
* Photos - approx 1000
* Casting - about 100 more photo sets, but very plain with no scene
* Videos - approx 200
Given that the site is a reasonable size, it's a shame there's no other browsing modes; it would be good to search sets by theme, or models by age, figure, etc... but it's just about manageable.
The models are all very attractive, and natural - there are few, if any, fake boobs here. It is, however, almost exclusively an East European site, with the large majority of models being Czech - but it is what it is so although I'd like to see a bit more variation, it's not really a complaint as such. Each model has some basic stats, links to their galleries, and some of the more popular ones have bios. There are lots of popular and well-known models there, including Ariel, Tess, Caprice, Melisa - but plenty more new to me.
Each picture set consist of about 70 pictures, and are available in 1K, 2K and 5K. As others have noted, there are no zips available for the max 5K size - however, I don't see why they bother with the restriction since it is extremely trivial - 2 or 3 clicks - to fetch the full 5K set with a manager like DownThemAll. Some of he pictures don't actually warrant that resolution; but many do and are generally very sharp.
The material itself is a bit more glam, a bit more raunchy, than you'd see the same models doing at eg Met Art; partly in the level of explicitness with plenty of close up shots and some sex toys; and partly just in the attitude of the model. This is what tempted me to join; and although I still feel the same, I think they very much choose the best shots for the cover - I was expecting a bit more glam-fetishy, like some of the milder material at Juliland, but some of the sets are are a bit too drawn out (I'm actually a big fan of the 25-pic sets at Juliland; there's no filler). And I'll echo tangub's suggestion that all the clothes usually come off a bit too soon; would be good to have a bit more teasing. But these are still fun, sexy sets, with a bit more character than some other art-nude sites - featuring lingerie, and some unusual indoor and outdoor locations (some very public!) Most of the newer sets have an accompanying BTS videos, which are interesting.
Videos I found less inspiring; including general pouting, and some more explicit with masturbation - but they tend to be short, 5-6 minutes, and mostly have a soundtrack all the way through, with no actual sound; there is some clever, arty editing in some of them, but although I like that sort of thing, it's a bit style-over-substance - there's a reason we are watching this stuff, after all, and I found I kept fairly few compared to the photos.
The other part of the site is an aspiring-to-playboy-type magazine area; consisting of articles in categories such as other porn stars/sites, erotic art & photography, and luxury life such as cars, boats and the like. I actually think this is quite a nice feature; it lends to the classiness of the site ('I only get it for the articles, really') and I found some good links and material there. Some may dismiss it as filler, but I think it's good to see a site adding a little extra value.
Overall this is a good, solid site, and although not quite as different/unique as I'd hoped, and left me a little cold, it's still hard to fault - especially for $15 (or a bit more). If you like this kind of site, and if what you see on the tour (pictures-wise, at least) appeals to you, it's recommended.
Another great review, tangub, thanks. This site is on my radar too... I get the impression that it's a bit more contemporary than some other art nude sites which appeals to me. However, although I'm not quite as fussy as Cap'n, I'd prefer it if there were more tease in the sets! Sounds like I might get round to MPL before this.
'You take a good or great looking model, splash her with gobs of makeup and weird costumes to make her look like a freak, and you have photographs that could hang in a museum. But not one that I would want to visit.'
Actually, for me, this has some appeal. Much as I like natural looking girls, I also like a bit of an angle to porn, and the above suggests one where other East European sites seem to lack it. And from what I can see, it's relatively tame compared to eg Juliland - which tempted me but ultimately terrified me a bit too much!
Denner, do sets here tend to have any undressing? I'm not quite such a strip fiend as Cap'n, but straight nude from start to finish does little for me. And the videos, do they all have typically daft music?
Many thanks messmer and marcdc for your replies! This seems to be another area where what we actually want differs from what the makers think we want...
Current Member for less than 1 month (at the time of review).
Pros:
Frequent updates
Good diversity in models and photographers
Exemplary site layout/features
Live cam shows
Cons:
Perhaps too hair-oriented
Mostly amateur themed
Pics often less interesting than videos
Photo sets need tighter editing
Bottom Line:
This is a tricky one for me to review, as I'm not necessarily the target market; nevertheless, I'll do my best.
Firstly, compare and contrast: I am very fond of any content featuring panties and nylons - especially tights - the longer they are teased/toyed with the better. I will gladly concede that things I could do with/to them, either on or off their owner, puts this in fetish territory.
OTOH, I also like pubic hair on a model. I think it makes the girls look womanly, sexually mature, and inviting; it is a thrill to catch a glimpse of it, or even to know I will do as the underwear (cf above) comes off; and although I've got used to shaved models, it is still a bit of a disappointment when there's only skin revealed. Pubic hair is natural and sexy thing, and I don't quite see why it's regarded as a fetish; and I do not further fetishise it by way of insisting there is LOTS of it (everywhere), playing with it, or drawing more attention to it than it creates itself. I just prefer it to be there.
Anyway, the above disappointment sent me in search of a suitably themed site; but it appears that there aren't sites for folk like me who just like hair - only for those who worship it... but beggars, choosers etc. The two obvious sites, therefore, are We Are Hairy and ATK Hairy. I looked at both of them and they seem very similar in style, content and even in model roster - WAH seemed a bit more glam, a bit better organised and with a more manageable amount of content to get through within a month's membership.
The mechanics of the site are exemplary; one of the best I've ever joined. There are the usual features:
* Dated updates
* Separate video and pic lists
* Model index
* Browse by category or tag
* Advanced search
As well as novel features like:
* Your own favourites (although oddly you can't favourite a model, only specific sets?)
* Browse by photographer (I tend to follow photograhers more than models)
* Custom zip downloads
* Webcam shows (I never got round to viewing any, but there seem to be a couple a week)
* Forum and comments on sets (albeit with the usual complement of spurious/disrespectful ones)
* Personal settings (how you view pictures, and what tags/categories to exclude if eg you don't like hairy legs etc)
And although not as vast as ATK, there's a good deal of content; generally 4-5 updates per day (3 photo sets and 2 videos), and with about 4 years worth of updates I make approx:
* 400+ models
* 3000+ photo sets, 3K, 100-150 pics each
* 2000+ videos, most 720p, 10-15 mins
Models are reasonably diverse in age - 18-40 and some beyond - and there there is probably just a little more ethnic diversity than on an average site. They can be broadly split - with plenty of exceptions - into 3 groups:
* East European (mostly Russian) account for maybe two-thirds of the updates - most girls are young, with pubic hair and otherwise neatly shaved. Some pretty girls but many do not let their personality or sensuality show; it would be nice to hear them talk more, even if their English was not good, or even in Russian etc.
* UK models - as above, most have pubic hair only - but get more chance to show their personality, with interviews, various dirty talking in masturbation and stripping videos, etc. These were the ones that worked best for me.
* US girls - tend to be more of the hippy type, with many more having hairy armpits, legs, etc. Again, they get interviews and some fun videos; some of the girls are very alluring but the extra hair isn't necessarily for me.
Photo sets are a bit too big for my liking; I prefer them more tightly edited, large sets get a bit repetitive. The style is relatively amateur (and I do mean the style, rather than the quality - which is generally good) - without much in the way of mood or evocative lighting - but still some fun sets.
Likewise for the videos - they are generally plenty explicit enough, most featuring masturbation with/without toys (also some GG and GB videos but much fewer). Many are a bit too samey, but some have a bit more of a theme - eg the very lovely Fawna Latrisch getting predictably wet and soapy when washing a floor; or a couple of models stripping out of some sexy officewear.
So, overall, although a great site, it doesn't quite work for me. It's only this that dictates my slightly lower score; if I was more of a hair and amateur lover this would easily be in the 90s.
I wish there was a site like eg The Life Erotic, or Joymii, that featured more unshaven girls; until that happens, I guess I'll stick to picking and choosing the limited amount of unshaven content such sites have.
Oh, this is very appealing! There's definitely some mileage in girls starting a shower clothed and then peeling everything off. Looks like some other good locations and outfit-drenching scenarios. I see a couple of familiar French models from other sites too.
Perhaps too new/small but will keep an eye on this one and join up sometime - given the relatively low number of sets at the moment, would be nice if it were bundled together with stablemate Wet Spirit...
I do wonder why some sites still post 1200px or 1600px when, for probably the past 5 years, even a relatively modest camera will produce 3K or 4K pics :|
This goes back to a recent thread on the forum; assuming you'd only sign up for a month anyway, does it really matter if they are updating or not? Granted it will have an impact on whether or not you revisit, but the material that's already there would be the main lure, rather than what does/doesn't turn up during your membership?
This style of site is winning me over to G/B material a little... but although this particular site looks good, it focuses on teens a little too much for me - I prefer to see models who look a little older.
Another great and helpful review. I quite enjoyed this site when I was there - although I usually watch solo, BG material is why I tend to join these heartcore sites, and what I found here was good.
Like you, I did, however, find it let down a little by the lack of variety of models - the vast majority 18-21 slim caucasian girls. But either way, a shame that maybe the quality has gone down since I was there - and especially that they are going for more extreme material.
I enjoyed X-Art, but I definitely see your point; I will probably subscribe again, but after some time, it is arguably a bit repetitive. For some reason - can't quite put my finger on it - I enjoyed Joymii more; it seems to have a bit more personality - you may want to check it out.
I concur - the clean modern layout is nice, but it belies a quite basic interface for the site. I guess when they first started the current layout was fine - but I feel they have enough material there now to warrant better browsing/searching facilities.
Thanks for the comment, RA - glad you like this site too. I might take a short break from the artcore genre, but next on my list is Babes network - will do a review as and when I join...
Seeing as over 30 js regarded as mature (and I don't feel remotely mature!) I guess we have to go elsewhere for them - I'd be tempted to join Pure mature if there were more natural girls there.
Meantime, I'd be happy with more girls in the 22-30 range; there are a few more at Joymii and perhaps at Babes network.
Thanks for the reply - didn't mean to lean so heavily on the regional pricing issue! As tangub and denner have noted, although they state £20, they do not seem to be following through on the CCBill page - so it's definitely worth a join.
Current Member for less than 1 month (at the time of review).
Pros:
- Many very attractive models
- Sensual hardcore scenes and solo
- Mix of European and US models
- Great photography and videography
- Good update schedule - 3 per week
- Login doesn't time out
- Material improving in terms of quality and creativity
Cons:
- $=£ regional pricing
- Short on ethnic diversity
- Likewise for ages - most models are very young
- A few anal scenes, not really my thing
- Likewise for group
- Basic browsing/searching facilities
- Could do with a just little more tease
- Arguably a bit formulaic
- Not all videos and photosets correspond
Bottom Line:
I've never really been much into hardcore; but following an enjoyable join at Joymii, this new-fangled artcore genre is growing on me (something is growing, anyway) - although a bit idealised, I like the portrayal of sharing sex between couples - and taken with a pinch of salt, I find it very arousing.
So I figured I'd take advantage of a good offer I received and try it out.... speaking of which, I'll get the main negative out of the way. This seems to have joined the ranks of sites who think that $1=£1; so the price for those of us in the UK is about 60% higher. I'm skirting over this since the offer I received seemed to work in $, but UK/Euro users may want to try joining via eg Tunnelbear.
The basic stats of the site:
* Approx 150 models
* Approx 300 photo sets, dating back to 2008, approx 60 shots in each, in zips, up to 4K
* Approx 200 videos, from 2009, approx 10-15 mins, in combinations of WMV/MPEG/MOV, up to 1080
The look of the site is clean and modern, but the navigation is fairly basic; there is a model index; then just a list of updates, either all in one page, just all videos, or browsing all updates by theme: GB/GG/Group/Solo. They have enough material here to invest in a bit more ease of use; but it's nothing to complain too much about. Clicking into each gallery allows you to rate and comment on the gallery, which is a nice touch - although there are plenty of daft ones there.
The sites's tagline - and the theme - is Beautiful erotica, which I guess sums it up; hardcore sex, but more tender, realistic and creatively/artfully shot than regular porn sites. Actually, looking at the earlier material, they seem to have started out largely with solo photoshoots - I found them a bit clinical and dull, but they have got into their stride - it's good to see a site where the material is getting better as opposed to going downhill like so many.
It's very, very similar to Joymii - I think Joymii started afterwards so I suspect it borrowed heavily from X-Art - imitation and flattery, etc. It is therefore very easy to compare the two; so I'll expand on a few differences/similarities:
* Models: both sites have a mix of US and European models; many popular girls appear there, and there is large overlap between the two. But X-Art focuses more on the 18-21 range; I prefer a slightly broader range, but either way they are all stunning.
* The photography and videography in both are without fault. However, I find a little more creativeness in Joymii's camera angles, colour and sets; X-Art's sets are a bit over-idealised, tropical cabanas and the like. OTOH, some recent videos at X-Art have a bit more of a story - although there's no dialog, they have lent it a very cinematic feel, which is interesting and adds to the atmosphere. In particularly a couple of voyeuristic scenes which - with the subjects implied consent/collusion, is very exciting - more of this please!
* Each site has a fairly similar split of solo, girl/girl and girl/boy material; all of which works for me, although I'm more interested in the actual sex scenes here. X-Art goes a bit further with some group sex scenes and also some anal; neither of which really work for me.
* Joymii has the better site design (over-AJAXing it notwithstanding); I also like the fact that all updates are paired - one photo set and one video per scene. Many videos on X-Art don't have matching sets.
* Both sites could do with just a bit more of an element of tease. The clothes come off just a bit too quickly, and whereas I can understand they don't want to feature girls dolled up in tawdry lingerie, some more undressing wouldn't go amiss.
Overall, this is a great site; and although possibly one of the originals, it is good that other sites in the genre - as listed in Elephant's post on the forum - are keeping it on it's toes - some of the newer material there has very high production values to keep them in the running. I slightly preferred Joymii, but purely as a matter of personal taste; so I'll score this only slightly lower - but it loses another point or two for heavily biased regional pricing!
Great review, elephant - your findings are similar to mine, so I'm not sure what I can add in my forthcoming review :| But interesting that some of your cons are my pros and vice versa. Glad you liked the site!
Aha, good point - AFAIK there's no anal at Joymii, but there is some at X-Art. Seeing as Anal doesn't do anything for me, that's another slight pro for Joymii - but X-Art remains a good site. I'm also thinking of trying Babes Network, a similar formula...
Likewise - I am subscribed at the moment and enjoying it. A few niggles and a few things I don't like, but overall it's good. A review will follow - it compares very well to Joymii - which I think borrows heavily from it - although I suspect JM will score higher for me since it doesn't focus as heavily on 18-21 year old models as X-Art - I prefer a broader range.
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